Redevelopment of the Linstead Public Hospital
FOR THE past six years, the South East Regional Health Authority has been focused on redeveloping the Linstead Public Hospital to meet the growing demand for healthcare services and to advance the quality of services provided to the residents of Linstead and beyond.
Strengthening the diagnostic services at the Linstead Public Hospital is a strategic intervention to ease the burden on the Spanish Town Hospital. In 2012, laboratory services were introduced for the first time in the history of the hospital. This new service has been making a difference because patients no longer have to travel to the Spanish Town Hospital to access laboratory services. The 12,614 lab tests that were done in
2017 are evidence of the demand for this particular service in the Linstead area.
X-Ray services were reintroduced in 2015 with the purchase of a $24 Million state-of-the-art Digital X-Ray unit, which served over 6,000 patients 2017.
The renovation of the administration building in 2016 has provided a more comfortable and productive working environment for the staff. This project has also provided the opportunity for the hospital to use the previous administrative offices as additional space for health care service delivery. This project was funded by the National Health Fund (NHF) at a cost of over $21 million.
Accident and Emergency Services also received a tremendous boost with the expansion and renovation of the Accident and Emergency (A&E) Department, which was completed in 2017. The department was renovated, expanded and equipped at a cost of $144 million through funding from the national health fund. The department features an expanded waiting area, a nebulisation station, six beds in the emergency room and a 10-bed observation area. In addition, the A&E has three examination rooms, a minor operations room and a paediatric observation room.
Since April 2018, physiotherapy services are being offered to patients two days per week for the first time since the hospital was established. The services were initially being offered to patients on the ward before an area was designated for the sessions. There are plans to include additional days in order to assist more patients.
The hospital is also poised for further growth with the establishment of the Drug Serv Pharmacy. The construction project is currently underway and is being funded by the NHF.